Uninsured numbers increase – first since ACA was enacted

By Dennis Archambault
Despite a strong economy, fewer people are  medically insured, which may also translate into fewer people pursuing essential health promotion and medical care services, short of emergent and critical needs. According to the New York Times, (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/business/economy/health-insurance-poverty-rate-census.html?campaign_id=60&instance_id=0&segment_id=16893&user_id=726e823b701adead13c212c59b7071e5&regi_id=67835882ing-news) about 27.5 million people, or 8.5 percent of the population, lacked health insurance in 2018 – up from 7.9 percent the year before. It was the first increase since the Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2014, possibly due to the current administration’s efforts to dismantle the program, according to the newspaper. The report raises the concern among safety net providers as to how Medicaid work rules will exacerbate this situation when they are implemented in Michigan next year.

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health.